Commonwealth Games-bound sprinter S Dhanalakshmi and triple jumper Aishwarya Babu were on Wednesday, July 20 dropped from the Indian team after returning two positive tests each for banned drugs, days ahead of the multi-sport event. Both the athletes, who were named in the initial 37-member Indian team for the upcoming July 28 to August 8 Birmingham Games, have been handed provisional suspensions. Dhanalakshmi failed two out-of-competition tests while Aishwarya returned positive in two in-competition tests.
Dhanalakshmi's dope samples contained anabolic steroids while Ostarine, a type of drug called a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), was found in Aishwarya's samples taken on June 13 and 14 during the National Inter-State Championships in Chennai. Dhanalakshmi's two out-of-competition tests were conducted in May and June -- one by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of the World Athletics and the other by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The AIU took her first sample in Turkey where she underwent a training stint as part of the Indian team in April-May. The second sample was taken on June 22 in Thiruvananthapuram where she is based as a national camper.
"Dhanalakshmi tested positive in a dope test conducted by AIU. She also tested positive for the second time in a test done by NADA in Thiruvananthapuram. She will not go for Birmingham CWG," a top source privy to the development told PTI on conditions of anonymity. Dhanalakshmi was named in the CWG team for 100m and the 4x100m relay team along with the likes of Dutee Chand, Hima Das and Srabani Nanda. Since Dhanalakshmi has been dropped from the Indian athletics team, MV Jilna will be brought back for the CWG in the women's 4x100m relay team.
The Athletics Federation of India had initially named five athletes -- Dutee Chand, Hima Das, Srabani Nanda, NS Simi and Jilna -- along with Dhanalakshmi in the relay team. But later, the AFI dropped Jilna to reduce the squad to 36, the quota allotted to the Indian Olympic Association. Dhanalakshmi was also named in the Indian team for the ongoing World Championships in Eugene, USA, but failed to make it to the showpiece, ostensibly due to visa problems. She ran and won the 200m race in the International Sprint and Relay Cup at Ataturk University Stadium at Erzurum in Turkey in June.
Dhanalakshmi also recorded a personal best time of 22.89 seconds while winning 200m gold at the Qosanov Memorial Athletics Meet in Almaty in Kazakhstan on June 26. She had become only the third Indian woman to run sub-23s after national record holder Saraswati Saha (22.82s) and Hima Das (22.88s).
The 24-year-old Aishwarya's two dope samples were taken by the NADA officials on June 13 and 14 during the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Chennai. She won the triple jump event on June 13 with a national record effort of 14.14m and clinched a long jump gold the next day. "Triple jumper Aishwarya Babu's sample, taken during the National Inter-State Championships, has returned positive," the source said.
Aishwarya had smashed the triple jump national record with a stunning effort of 14.14m to emerge the undisputed star of the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships (June 10-14) in Chennai. She had produced a 6.73m effort in the long jump qualification round during the Chennai event. That was the second best by an Indian woman long jumper after legendary Anju Bobby George (6.83m).